Acting VOA Director Yolanda López’ statement on Russian blocking of VOA Russian website – USAGM

Acting VOA Director Yolanda López’ statement on Russian blocking of VOA Russian website

March 4, 2022

The recent threat by the Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor to block VOA and other independent media outlets now is a reality for many in our audience there.

Our viewers and listeners in Russia deserve access to our factual news content at this critical time, not only about the ongoing war in Ukraine but also about all vital global events that impact their lives and actions.

VOA will continue to promote and support tools and resources that will allow our audiences to bypass any blocking efforts imposed on our sites in Russia. Our journalists will continue their reporting, an example of free press in action.

About VOA

Voice of America reaches a global weekly audience of more than 311.8 million people in 47 languages. VOA programs are delivered on satellite, cable, shortwave, FM, medium wave, streaming audio and video and more than 2,350 media outlets worldwide. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through USAGM.

Tribunal del Valle rules in favor of the Mayor's Office of Cali for acting unemployed - Cali - Colombia

The claims of the authors of a Popular Action against various State entities for their role in the 2021 national strike were denied, in the first instance, in the Administrative Court of Valle del Cauca “due to the current lack of an object by fact overcome”.

(You can read: They activate protection for a family that asked to stop the death of children in Cali)

The plaintiffs requested the use of public force, militarization and the use of weapons to end the protests of the social outbreak.

The defendant entities, the Presidency of the Republic, the Department of Valle del Cauca, the National Protection Unit, the Ministry of the Interior, the Municipalities of Candelaria, Palmira, Jamundí and the District of Cali, presented their arguments in the response to demand, pointing out the importance of dialogue and agreement, as well as the measures that were taken to lift the blockades.

It should be remembered that the national strike began because of the tax reform proposal presented by the National Government, which generated widespread rejection.

(You may be interested in: Video: motorcyclist breaks glass of MIO bus in Cali)

The director of the Administrative Department of Public Legal Management of the Cali Mayor’s Office, María del Pilar Cano Sterling, pointed out that Cali is a pioneer in building agreements, as happened on May 31, 2021 when Mayor Jorge Iván Ospina signed Decree 0304 of 2021 .

Cano stressed that the essence of Decree 0304 of 2021 was to build trust between the administration and the community in the understanding that dialogue is the way forward, a process that was accompanied by the Archdiocese of Cali and international organizations such as the UN – High Commissioner for Rights Humans, OEA-MAPP, who became guarantors of the processtogether with the Ombudsman, because the priority was to safeguard the lives of citizens.

“Legitimate solutions were sought to strengthen trust in the institutions because dialogue was not being held with groups outside the law, but with young people, some university students who have not been able to continue their studies, high school graduates, unemployed youth, who have not had access to education or a formal job and they had a lot to say”, explained the Legal Director.

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Protesters Seek Minneapolis Acting Police Chief's Resignation After Deadly Raid

A caravan of vehicles drove through Minneapolis demanding justice in the death of Amir Locke, the 22-year old Black man who was fatally shot by Minneapolis police as officers served a no-knock search warrant.

Sunday’s caravan of about 50 vehicles was organized by the Racial Justice Network and other police accountability groups.

Some in the caravan then gathered in a neighborhood outside what’s believed to be the home of interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman. They chanted the names of Locke as well as Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was killed by Kentucky police during a no-knock raid in 2020.

They also called for Huffman’s resignation, the Star Tribune reported.

“We’re asking for her job,” said activist Toussaint Morrison over a microphone outside the home, “because it seems like the only time they pay attention is when it affects their jobs or their money. But we pull up when it affects our lives.”

The gathering follows a march Saturday that drew hundreds of demonstrators to the streets of Minneapolis. The protesters met outside the Hennepin County Government Center before marching through downtown streets.

Locke was fatally shot Wednesday when a SWAT team entered a downtown Minneapolis apartment without knocking.

A police bodycam video shows an officer kicking the couch where Locke’s family said he was sleeping. On the video, he is seen wrapped in a blanket, beginning to move, with a pistol in his hand just before an officer fires his weapon.

Locke’s parents, Andre Locke and Karen Wells, say their son was “executed” after he was startled from a deep sleep and reached for a legal firearm to protect himself.